graphicguy

Probably right. That said, in the Retreat (Edge), we were treated to a couple of "ladies" who proclaimed themselves to be "porn stars" who were more than willing to get very drunk and show snippets of them plying their trade on their phones to those of us having cocktails in the Retreat. Raised a few eyebrows. I had a guy before the COVID shutdown insist on loudly arguing politics with me (even though I never responded to him) while I was trying to read a book in the Haven. Then you always have those who insist on telling everyone how rich they are the drunker they get while in the Haven. Had a drunk guy insist on showing me a detailed video tour of his house, his boat and his cars while on my last cruise in the Prima Haven. He wanted me to respond, but the only thing I could muster was "that's nice". Then, my favorite, the guy who was showing me his restoration of a vintage Ford F100 truck. Interspersed with his picture collage of the restoration were nude pictures of his wife. I'm not a prude....you want to carry naked pictures of your spouse with you? Go for it. Sharing it? That was a tough watch for me. I kept cringing as he was clearly trying to view my response. I kept going between being polite and acting like it was normal and excusing myself to got to the men's room. I finally chose the latter and left the Diamond Lounge. Those of us here have been sailing for a while. You see all kinds of behaviors on ships and even in their premium areas.

Agree about Retreat fares recently. I've found way better Haven fares. Like you, I wasn't a fan of Luminae's menus. Truth told, most nights, I was allowed to pick the "MDR" choices. They allowed me to choose the standard Steak, Fish, Chicken choices you usually find in the MDR. Frankly, I found Blu and Tuscan restaurants (free) to be better than Luminae. Blu was my favorite restaurant on board. Eden was my favorite extra charge restaurant.....the food, the service, the ambiance, overlooking the aft of the ship...all was wonderful. Plus, I enjoyed hanging at the Eden Bar.

Excellent compare/contrast. Thank you! Like you, I shop the living daylights out of cruise fares/ameninties/itineraries/ships. It's a chore. But, like you, I pride myself on the research done pre-cruise.

Thanks. I've been "Princess Curious" for a while. I just can't find a sailing that works for me. I still am getting my best fares on NCL (including Haven), too. NCL has ticked me off in the past. But, they always seem to get me back. That said, I'm a fan of bigger ships. So, that's another reason I've not sailed Oceania.

My TA is an admitted Disney Cruise Line fan, of which I'm definitely not. I think if you have kids or teens, I believe Disney, Carnival and maybe even Royal works better. NCL Haven? Not so much. As far as "drunk" or over served passengers, that's true of guests on ALL cruise lines (with the possible exception of Disney). I've always been a proponent of moving another 75 feet to another bar if there are some at the bar who bother me. It's not like there aren't enough bars on board. Saw a guy lose his teeth on the table in front of him as he was passing out in the Retreat area on the Apex. Appalling at the time. Funny now! On the Edge, a guy on my deck was ranting in front of a cabin door as I passed him. I asked to see his key card. Wrong cabin. Tried to take him to the right one. He was having none of it. OhhhhKayyyy! He followed me to the Concierge Desk ranting and raving they locked him out of his cabin. Bless the patient Concierge. It took him a minute but he finally showed the guest where his ACTUAL cabin was. Point being, regardless of cruise or cabin type, all of us who have cruised for a while have similar stories.

That said, why acknowledge the story if it has no legitimacy. Heck, anyone can say anything all the time about any cruise line. I can't see them responding to them. Why give the story any ink?

HI Gary...I have a quick question for you. I know you cruised Oceania. If you don't want to answer, I understand. But, what was the delta price wise between the Haven and Oceania? My TA is trying to get me to try Oceania, but when she forwards me quotes, Oceania is significantly more.

Word of advice..... I'd say the majority of the time you can do better price wise booking your own hotel vs booking through NCL. Flights? Different matter. What you get with booking via NCL is cheap (2nd person) flights. What you give up is convenience and control vs you booking with the airline(s) to get what you want.

NCL sponsored?

The whole part of the story that you highlighted is janky. It makes no sense that a Captain would refuse to talk to the Harbor Master. Really? Not buying it. If the Dawn was still anchored, why did the guests have to be put on another boat to meet the Dawn. It gets even schmaltzy mentioning the tour operator was a high school football coach along with the pictures of the happy, allegedly agrieved couple. This looks more an more like a shakedown of NCL by the tour operator who screwed up. They don't want to be on the hook for the guests they could not get back to the ship on time. I'm convinced of that, now.

I found the same. I think your exeriences are the rule and not the exception.

Thinking the same. The tour operator said s/he contacted the CAPTAIN and reported they would be late after assuring the passengers they had plenty of time to get back before all aboard. I don’t think any of that happened and it’s an effort by the tour operator to wash their hands of responsibility!

There are too many questions here….something’s missing! Excursion operator called the Captain? They have the Capt’s phone? Talk about the tour operator trying to CYA! The guests are seasoned NCL cruisers? They didn’t know the ship’s policies? Something’s missing!

Been in Celebrity's Retreat (EDGE and APEX). Sailed more in NCL's Haven. Truely, they are very, very similar. The big difference being the Retreat using a combo Butler/Concierge. They are the same person, unless you interface with the Concierge's in the Retreat area. NCL Haven....seperate Concierges and Butlers. Concierges take care of my reservations for dining/entertainment, billing issues, internet issues, special requests (like communicating to have B-Day cakes sent to the room, for example). Butlers will execute the Concierge's requests when you have a special occasion. I've found NCL to be quite good with B-Day/Anniversary cakes and decorations....if they're aware. Matter of fact, NCL is more likely to have some nice surprises that you didn't request over what I experienced in the Retreat. Minor issue, but another data point.

Generally speaking, while I do like using NCL's transport busses, they won't leave the airport until they have a full, or close to full bus. What time that is? Who knows? But, you'll get to the ship before all aboard....usually way before. So, check in time is more or less irrelevant....as long as you're there to catch the bus.

Well....this is a fun read. You get status after you meet or surpass the status threshold. If someone was upgraded before reaching the status threshold, it was a mistake. Personally, don't care, but it was still a mistake. If you want pins....I got pins.....lots of pins....all different colors of pins....in a drawer....somewhere! You want pins, go to Cruise Next. THey'll give you pins.

Haven't done as many as my friend @MagnoliaBlossom, she offers good advice. And, our tastes are similar. I personally have done both lines often, too. It's really a preference thing. I'm not a teen, or 20-ish, or 30-ish....oh heck, who am I kidding, I'm probably 2x the age of Carnival's target audience. You'll find "more mature" guests on Carnival, but it's really gauged more towards the pool and party young(er) set. NCL will offer more in the way of a resort feel. Depending on ship, you'll either get some truly Broadway type shows for entertainment. Their pools are small and don't lend themselves to just hanging out. Although, the ships with the "Waterfront" are really quite nice places to just hang with a drink and a book. The White Hot party is good, though. Let's just say I have to be "in the mood" to do a Carnival cruise. I'm ALWAYS in the mood for an NCL cruise. I know some who will chastise me for these comparisons. But, my opinion. You get what you paid me to provide.

Have done a couple Haven Spa Cabins (Getaway/Breakaway)...nice, and perfect for 2 people. Not a fan of the whirlpool. We liked it....ONCE. It's really too small for 2 people. But, those cabins are close to the Spa, which is nice. Stayed in a 2 BR Cabin IN the Haven Courtyard. Nice cabin. Not sure it made much difference to me whether being in the Courtyard or not. Can't say that it did. But, at the time, it was cheap (I mean really cheap for a 2BR Cabin). Stayed in a Haven Cabin on the Prima, which has most (all?) the cabins in the Haven Courtyard. Again, that Haven is so big, I'm not sure it really matters as it wasn't that close to the bar and restaurant. For me, book the cheapest Haven Cabin that works for me, regardless of where it is. The amenities are the same in all of them (except the top Suites, which also include some alcohol bottles).

Very true. I think that comes into play depending on the itinerary. There are some where that's much more appreciated than others. I've only sailed on the Gem with a large Aft Cabin. It was indeed quite nice. For Alaska, it would have been wonderful. Instead, we were sailing ABC, which I had been to many times previously.

There’s a significant difference in price and service between the balcony and Haven Cabins. Haven Cabins give you access to the Haven Bar and Restaurant, which employ the best personnel on the ship, and offer the best food and drinks on the ship, too! With the Haven, you’ll have access to the Concierges. They will make all your restaurant and entertainment reservations (mostly getting you reservations you couldn’t get via normal channels). S/he will also escort you on and off the ship with priority access. Your Butler will execute room service, including multi course dinners. S/he will also bring daily snacks and host any soires you may entertain in your cabin. So, significant differences!

I agree. As I've mentioned before, my Haven Threshold is $5k all in. I've got a sizable discount burning a hole in my pocket. I can get a ~$3K fare all in for a Haven cabin. I can't even get a Balcony cabin on many of Royal's ships for that. I have not been to Bermuda since before COVID shutdown. And, I really like the itinerary of going, using the ship as my hotel and meal home base while really exploring what I consider one of my top 3 prettiest island destinations I've ever visited. Throwing fares against the wall to see what sticks. I'm thinking those Joy Haven Fares from Quebec in September will be coming down as the sailing gets closer, too.

This may be one of those scenarios where you drop a line to the GM. I believe the Concierge desk has a form you can anonymously fill out and submit to Customer Service. It's a brief form that is similar to a "suggestion" submission. In the past, I've found that those get the attention of the higher ups in pretty short order. Just another avenue available.

For anyone interested, there are some nice Haven fares on the Joy to Bermuda if you can leave in the next 60 days.

@Battlement....well, heck....that sux! At one point, NCL only promoted the creme de la creme to the Haven. Their best Concierges, their best restaurant staff, their best bartenders and yes, their best Butlers. While I've not experienced what you did, I do believe NCL has had difficulty keeping good staff (as have all the cruise lines). Is it due to the COVID hangover that all industries find difficulty finding and keeping good staff? Maybe. Dunno, though! The last Butler I had (Walter) on my Prima Cruise several weeks ago typified what we've come to expect....cordial, polite, attentive, punctual. Same with the Concierge (Lyster). I know crew seem to put an emphasis on the surveys, as does NCL. Might want to let them know about this. I have been surprised how NCL has responded in a positive way to some of the issues and negative feedback I've provided. No harm in giving it a shot.

I can use the calculator on my phone. Does that count?